Explosive gas-engine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. W. STARR 8v J. H. COGSWBLL.

BXPLOSIVE GAS ENGINE.

No. 585,127. Patented June 22.1897.

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'r c Nonms PErzns ce, pHoro-L (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. W. STARR & J. H. OOGSWELL. BXPLOSIVB GAS ENGINE.

No. 585,127. Patented June 22,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WV. STARR AND JOHN HENRY COGSWELL, OF HAVANA, ILLINOIS.

EXPLOSIVE GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 585,127, dated June 22, 1897. Application filed August 26, 1896. Serial No. 603,991. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. STARE and JOHN HENRY CoGswELL, citizens of the United States, residing atV Havana, in the county of Mason and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Explosive Gas-Engines; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in explosive gas-engines, and especially to a mechanism by means of which the supply of gas which is automatically fed into the cylinder may be easily regulated by causing a sliding stem having i on one side a wedge-shaped surface which is thrown into the path of a vertically-movable piston-stem to limit its throw and the feeding of the gas through an aperturecontrolled by a valve mounted on the said vertically-movable stem. In connection with the member having the inclined or wedge-shaped surface a series of steps on the reverse side thereof is provided, whereby a full or a half charge may be fed'into the cylinder or the charge shut od entirely.

A further part of our invention resides in the provision of means for regulating the exhaust valve mechanism operated from an eccentric and in which an alternating wheel is utilized to regulate the throw of the stem of the exhaust-valve, which wheel is caused to make partial revolutions by means of a swinging pawl engaging with a ratchet-wheel mounted on the shaft to which the alternating wheel is keyed as the pitman connected to the eccentric and the casing carrying the alternating wheel reciprocates. Heretofore in exhaust-regulating means in connection with gas-engines springs have been utilized which act under their greatest tension when the exhaust valve is raised from its seat, whereas with our invention the tension of the spring acting on the exhaust-piston stem is greatest after the valve is seated, which will be hereinafter more fully described.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may pertain, the same consists, further, in the novel combination and adaptation of the parts, as will be fully described in detail and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

We clearly illustrate our invention in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this application, and in which drawings similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, iu which- Figure l is a vertical sectional view through a gas-engine embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the means for turning the alternating wheel. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the valve and sliding wedgeshaped member for controlling the throw of the feeding-valve. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the alternating wheel, together with the ratchet-wheel for turning the same. is a detail View of regulating-stem reversed. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the two adjustingnuts.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the cylinder, in which works a plunger B, operated by a pitman connected to a crank on the driving-shaft. Slidingly held on the main driving-shaft O 'is a collar C', connected to the ends of angle-levers CZ, which are pivoted to a projection of the driving-wheel D, the said angle-levers carrying governor-weights, all of common construction.

E is the supply-valve, which is mounted on a stem E and is designed to work vertically in a hole e, which forms a guide therefor in the casing of the valve-chamber. Leading into the chamber c beneath the valve E is the supply-pipe E2, through which gas is admitted to the engine. The stem E' has an elongated aperture, in the bottom of which is seated a hardened-steel block F, the upper edge of which is beveled, as clearly seen in the drawings. Mounted in a slot at right angles to the stem E' and passing through the elongated aperture in said stem is the horizontally-movable shaft G, which has its outer end threaded and carrying the adj usting-nuts H, which have hubs passing through an aperture in the upper end of the lever I. The

Fig. 5

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said lever I is fulcrumed at I', and its lower end, which is forked, embraces the sliding collar C'. The upper end of the lever I has a lug z, on which is supported one end of a coiled spring l2, the other end of the spring being supported on a lug extending out from the side of the valve-chamber casing. This spring is provided to cooperate with the governor-weight (not shown) within the wheel D, which norm ally holds the lever I in the position shown in Fig. l. The shaft G has a portion of its surface on its lower side cut away at an angle, as seen at G', this inclined surface being in a plane parallel with theinclined surface of the hardened-steel block F and having an integral lng g at the outer termination of said inclined surface. On the reverse side or upper edge of the said shaft G, opposite the said inclined surface G', is a series of steps g', provided for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. It will thus be seen that as the drivin g-shaft works faster or slowerthe govern or-weights will be thrown out by centrifugal force or by gravity, aided by springs, will be drawn back, and the shaft G will be moved accordingly backward or forward through the medium of the pivoted lever I, allowing a shorter or a longer play to the vertically-working valve-stein E', which will regulate the feeding of gas to the cylinder. As the engine reaches its maximum speed the governor, as ordinarily used in other gas-engines, admits avery small quantity or, we might say, a seeping of the gas, said amount being so small as not to be considered good economy, as most of the power is wasted in iilling the combustion-chamber. To avoid said leakage, we provide the step or lug g, which holds the valve firmly to its seat, while with the slightest fall in speed the step is withdrawn and a light working charge admitted. As the inclined surface G/ is provided to admit a variable amount of gas to the cylinder, when it is not so important to have a steady motion, a series of steps is arranged on the opposite side of the shaft G, whereby either a full or a half charge may be admitted to the cylinder or the supplycnt off entirely. This feeding mechanism may be easily changed from one form to the other by simply removing the shaft G and reversing the same. In case the shaft G, having the series of steps, is reversed, so that the steps will come on the under side, the steel block F is turned so that its highest portion will come next to the steps, as will be seen plainly in the detail figure of the drawings.

Ii is an exhaust-valve mounted on a stem K', and K2 a pipe to carry olf the exhaust products from the exploded gas. lVorking vertically in a hollow casting L, secured to the side of the engine, is the casing M, in which are carried the stem K of the exhaust-valve and means for regulating its throw,which consists of an alternating wheel N, having apertures through the same at right angles to each other of such a diameter as to permit the lower end of the stem K to pass through an aperture when the wheel is turned, so that the said stem will register therewith. Interposed between the nut O and the jam-nuts I), which latter are mounted on a screw-threaded portion of the stem IC, is a spring Q, the tension of which is regulated by raising or lowering the said jam-nu ts. The casing M is caused to reciprocate up and down by connection with an eccentric R on the main driving-shaft through the medium of the pitman R. On the end of the shaft N', which is integral with the alternating wheel, is a ratchet-wheel N2, with a spring n interposed between the inside of the casing M and a nut on the end of the shaft NQ which spring is provided to take up wear.

S is a pawl having forked arms S' and S2, and each arm is pivoted to a stationary portion of the casing of the engine. One end of an arm, as S2, is provided with an elongated slot s, so as to allow a slight swinging motion to the pawl as the ratchet-wheel rises, allowing the pawl to clear; but on the downward movement of the ratchet-wheel the pawl will fall by gravity, so that its hooked end will catch onto a tooth of the ratchet-wheel and cause the latter to make a partial revolution and with it the shaft and the alternating wheel. The mechanism is so adjusted that at each downward movement of the casing carrying the alternating wheel the pawl will cause the said wheel to make one-eighth of a revolution, presenting a blank and an aperture alternately to the lower end of the stem IC, the blank being presented in the path of the said piston on an exhaust stroke when valve K is opened about one-half throw of eccentric.

From the construction hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the drawings, it will be noted that the tension of the spring Q is greatest after the valve is seated, by reason of the abutment-nut O still continuing its downward stroke. As a blank in the alternating wheel is presented an exhaust occurs. Both abutting ends of the spring move with the valve, so tension of the spring is not increased as the exhaust-valve is raised from its seat, which is considered a great desideratum in our invention.

XVe are aware that it is common in explosive gas-engines to provide a governing mechanism which automatically regulates the supply of gas to a cylinder and also a means for controlling the exhaust products of the explosive gases, and hence we do not claim, broadly, any such mechanism.

Having thus described our invention,what we claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A device for controlling the feed of gas to the cylinder of an explosive-engine, consisting of a vertically-movable valve-stem having an elongated slot, a hardened-steel block having a beveled surface, seated in said slot, combined with the horizontally-movable shaft passing through said slot, the under side of the said shaft having a beveled surface a IOO IIO

portion of its length which is adapted to be held in a plane parallel to the beveled surface of the said steel block, the outer end of the shaft being screw-threaded and carrying adjusting-nuts, and an operating-lever held between said nuts and means for operating the said lever, substantially as shown and described.

2. A device for regulating the supply of gas to a cylinder of an explosive gas-engine, consist-ing of the valve-stem E slotted longitudinally, the steel beveled block held therein, combined with the shaft G having the under side of its head beveled and an-integral step g thereon, the outer end of the said shaft being screw-threaded, the adj Listing-nuts H having hubs mounted on the screw-threaded portion of the shaft, and the pivoted lever I having a slot near its upper end through which lthe said shaft passes, and the spring interposed between the lupper end of the said lever, and the casing carrying the valve-rod, the lower end of the lever I being connected with a collar which is moved backward and forward by a governor, substantially as shown and described.

3. In combination with the feed-valve stem as described carrying the reversible beveled steel block in a slot therein, the reversible shaft G, having a series of steps on its upper side, and a beveled surface with an integral lug or step on its lower face, and means for reciprocating the said shaft, substantially as shown and described.

4. Aregulating device for an exhaust-valve in an explosive-engine, consisting of the eX- haust-valve stem K the reciprocating casing carrying the same, and spring interposed between the upper end of the casing and a jamnut on the piston-rod, an alternating wheel mounted at the lower end of the said casing, and means for reciprocating the latter, and for revolving the alternating wheel.

5. A regulating device for the exhaustvalve of a gas-engine, consisting of the reciprocating casing M, nut O, the crank and pitman for operating the same, combined with the stem K mounted in said casing, a portion of the length of the said stem being screwthreaded, jam-nuts working on said threads, the spring interposed between the jam-nuts and the nut O, and the alternating wheel journaled at the lower end of the casing, and a ratchet-wheel and a swinging pawl designed to rotate the ratchet-wheel which causes the alternating wheel to make partial revolutions, substantially as shown and described.

6. In combination the casing, the stem carried thereby, the shaft journaled in the said casing, the alternating wheel mounted on said shaft, the friction-spring fn., the ratchet-wheel N2 and the swinging pawl mounted as described and designed to engage with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel as the casing carrying the ratchet-wheel'is lowered, but to swing laterally as the ratchet-wheel rises, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. STARR. JOHN HENRY OOGSWELL. lVitnesses:

H. J. HERvEY, J. E. PATOHEN. 

